FC Dallas vs. Seattle Sounders Prediction, Preview, and Odds - 8/18/21
FC Dallas plays host to the Seattle Sounders on Wednesday night from Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, in a crucial Western Conference tilt. The two teams met just a few short weeks ago, back on August 4th, in what was a 1-1 draw between the two sides in Seattle. In that one, it took a Franco Jara stoppage-time goal to grab a point for FC Dallas in what was a pretty evenly played match between the two times. With Wednesday’s rematch taking place in Dallas, it should be full of fireworks and excitement. Seattle comes in just behind Sporting Kansas City, sitting second in the Western Conference, while Dallas sits in tenth place, but still well within striking distance of the teams ahead of them to make a move into the top seven before it’s all said and done on the season. Seattle hasn’t lost to Dallas since halfway through the 2019 season but will have their hands full going on the road in this one. Expect both teams to try to start fast, especially considering what’s at stake for Dallas, as they look to try to sneak into the playoffs, and for Seattle to keep pace atop the Western Conference.
FC Dallas Eyes Key Push
FC Dallas was surprised at home to struggle as much as they did over the weekend, even against a top-of-the-table side in Sporting Kansas City. It was a microcosm of the season that they’ve had so far, filled with ups and downs. They know that they can’t afford to be dropping points at home and will need a complete performance at home on Wednesday night if they want to get anything against one of the league’s best sides. The top seven teams in each conference qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs and right now, FC Dallas sits in tenth place on 21 points, only two points behind Portland for the seventh spot. Depending on other results, a win over Seattle could see them jump into seventh place and that notion alone should be able to carry them through what will be an emotional match. Dallas has a minus-four goal differential, showing the small margin of error that they have had this season. It’ll be an advantage having just played at home over the weekend and the lack of travel should play into their hands as a major key.
FC Dallas remains a little broken on the injury front, an issue that definitely might hurt them against a deep Seattle team. According to the league’s availability report, they will be without three players for Wednesday night’s game. Beni Redzic (ankle sprain), Paxton Pomykal (knee), and Johnny Nelson (back), all are out. Pomykal is the biggest concern, having appeared in 19 games, scoring a goal, and adding an assist, as one of the most dynamic midfielders in the league. Johnny Nelson has appeared in ten games in the back and it’ll be time for some a little more inexperienced to step up in his place. Redzic is yet to appear in a game this season but serves to just further deplete their depth.
The good news for FC Dallas is that while the defense and midfield are both missing a key cog, the attack will still be in great shape. Ricardo Pepi, who is drawing international interest from both the US and Mexico national teams, has been one of the better young strikers in the league and brings eight goals into the game. He’ll be a difficult one to stop for Seattle and at home will only even more feed off the crows. Beyond Pepi, Jader Rafael Obrian and Franco Jara both have three goals. Ryan Hollingshead is the key to Dallas’ success though. Coming out of the back as one of the more experienced defenders on the squad, the team will not only need his defensive prowess but his ability to get forward (two goals, four assists) and contribute to an attack that is in need of producing quality chances if they want to take all three points from Seattle.
Seattle Looking To Keep Pace
The Seattle Sounders have had their fair share of successes and struggles even just over the last few months. July saw them go only 2-3-1, but August has been much more impressive, with them going 1-1 in MLS action and dominating in the Leagues Cup against Tigres. Their last game was a masterpiece though, taking down rival Portland 6-2 on the road in one of the best performances in their recent memory. They scored four second-half goals in a dominant performance and will look to take that momentum over into Wednesday’s game as they take to the road again. Seattle sits only one point behind Sporting in the Western Conference standings, on 36 points across 19 games and a plus-16 goal differential. After dropping a game to Sporting at home in July though, Seattle will have few great chances to take points, and going on the road against Dallas might provide that opportunity for them to close ground. If they can make it five straight games against FC Dallas without a loss, they’ll be in good shape with some more keys games coming up to finish off the month.
Seattle has had to deal with some key injuries on the year but it hasn’t seemed to impact them as much as it would some other teams on their schedule. Jordan Morris remains out with the ACL injury he suffered at Swansea last year, while Jordy Delem has a right ACL tear as well. Stefan Frei is out with a left knee sprain/blood clot, but his backup hasn’t wasted any time showing that the future is bright. Nouhou Tolo is questionable to give it a go and might be the biggest loss of all. Frei only appeared in five games, Delem in four, and Morris in none, while Tolo made his way into eight games. Seattle’s strongest quality has been their depth this year and that is sure to be on full display on Wednesday night.
Raul Ruidiaz has been one of the best strikers in the league and if Dallas isn’t careful and collected in the back, a second straight goal performance might be coming his way. He bagged two in Sunday’s blowout over Portland, which brought his season tally to 13 total. Not far behind him is Fredy Montero, with six goals. The creator and one to keep an eye on is Joao Paulo, the crafty midfielder who only has one goal, but has added seven assists as well. Add that to a front seven that also has Cristian Roldan, Jimmy Medranda, and Will Bruin, amongst many more, and Dallas will have their hands full keeping Seattle to only one goal yet again.
Pick: Seattle Sounders (+160)
Even though they’ll be going on the road for the second straight game, Seattle will still like their chances to grab three points from Dallas on Wednesday night. Seattle enters playing some of their best soccer of the season between the MLS slate and the Leagues Cup slate, and that confidence and momentum are tough to forget about. They have one of the league’s best goal scorers and an attack that might be the deepest in the league. FC Dallas has Pepi, who is sure to make things interesting, but the injuries though few, are important and will have a negative impact on their ability to go out there and grab a win.
Pick: Over
Even though the first meeting between these two teams ended in a 1-1 draw, goals are sure to be scored on Wednesday night. Seattle comes in with one of the league’s best attacks on paper and in reality, as they are coming off a six-goal performance in their last outing and have the league’s best attacker and creator. For Dallas, Pepi has been a handful for defenses and Hollingshead will give them a unique look going forward that will help to create some chances. Add in that Seattle’s keeper is still somewhat inexperienced, and a mistake could gift a few great opportunities to Dallas as well. Expect Seattle to come out on top, but it’ll take multiple goals to do so.
